Chinese military effectively responds to U.S. vessels' transit through Taiwan Strait

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command monitored two U.S. vessels' transit through the Taiwan Strait from Friday to Saturday, said a spokesperson for the command on Saturday.

The theater command deployed naval and air assets to monitor and track the movements of the two vessels, ensuring effective response and management, said Xu Chenghua, the spokesperson, in a press release.

The two vessels were the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn and the oceanographic survey vessel USNS Mary Sears, according to Xu.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command remains on high alert to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability, he said.